The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-11-03
HISTORY OF THE BUsTLE.
The Impetus Which Has Borne It Through
Successive Stages of Growth.

ness bustlo which belongs to the carly
fall and winter trade, nor the great
hustle of the humming and whirling
marts Of manufacturing energy. We
mean tho great hustle of modern fash
ion.
Nothing has outstrippod tho hustle in
its gigantic stride for prodigious excel
lencc. 1t is paradoxical that this tout
ward form" of fashion, which has never
been literally in front, has still left all
modistic rivals bohind.
We can recall when this startlingly
reproductive fruit received the distinct
impetus which has borne it through
successive stages to the present oxtraor-
dinary condition of development Tho
hustle got n wondrous impetus from an
have intcntly observed its onward
twenty years; and, now that it has
grown large enough to comprehend this
commentary, wo pay to its historic
origin our respectful compliments.
The bustlo of tho war period in the
south was cut croscont-shaped, was
hand-sewcd, and was then padded
through IN opon ond with cotton or
Sawdust, 1t was a modest, unobtrusive
hustle in its manners and when proper
ly adjusted was quite invisible to tho
wcarcr and nearly SO to tho world.
Like certain lunar eclipsos, it could bo
viewed only from q worry limited area.
When Shcrman's Christian battalions
wGro beaten through the backways of
Georgia and the Carolinas it was
| deemed, for prudential reasons, best to
deposit domestic treasure, such as
money and valuablcs, whore they would
not confront these patriots. 1t was not
at first suspected that the soldiers would
appropriate these effects, but it was
feared that the gilt bric-a-brac, and
brooch, and bracelet jewelry might at
| tract their admiration and impede their
| march by tempting them to stop and
| examine tho precious wares.
When brought into full relief by pow
crful field Ionscs il was ut last seen that
| ShCrman'S Christian battalions were an
| army Of incOntincnt klcptomaniacs,
and that new ingcnuitiGs would be in
constant need TO escape their keen and
| acute methods of detecting tho secret
| places Of hidden treasures
Hiding places were numerous in
| truth, but their instincts for stealago
were quite as diverse and quito as
! many.
At this crisis tho bustlo played his
| toric part.
1t became safc-dospo,it for imperil-
ed jcwclry possessions
Both cotton and sawdust Dustlos were
now brought into new uso They
were ripped and rid of their waste,
| and then were rewaddcd but this time
with small wares and valued gems.
| Two abnormal effects followed the first
| being Il disturbance of tho symmetry
and gravity of tho former bustlo, tho
| second being marked increase in its
| proportions. This made it tho moro
observable, and this, too, led to its
eventual detection by certain of the SOL
dlcrS, which discovery eliminated in
the theft OF many bustles, together with
their precious and highly-prizcd con-
tents.
What was next to doP
Shrcwd and rcsourccful maidons soon
fell upon another device. There was
continual peril of loss while tho bustles
were worn in their allotted places upon
the person, but thcrc was hope of escape
for them if they could be successfully
concealed clsowhore, But whore, oh
where? In the houseP No! for Sher-
! man entered with lurid fagots. In the
woods? No! for his marauders roasted
upon INC coughs.
So the noble women resolved to bury
their trinkcts in the fields. Tho broad
acres thus became the depository of
their charms and treasures and the
earth covered up lheir-bustles.
Sec NOndcr dune where the tasseled
stalk is noddng to the breeze and YOU
rouiu hcar the rustic of the -bladeP
Ncli, once YOU could hear the rustic of
the hustle. Sec those tiny hills whence
the hopeful germ of tho happy potato is
looking toward the sunp Well, those
little hills were once sown broadcast
with those beautiful suggestions of
dromcdarial architecture known in tho
parlancc of worldly fashion as-bus-
| ties.
What became of them?
we can not answer for them all.
Nor can we rcpress the thought that
had they all taken root and riponed and
| risen in luXuriant lovelincss what o
harvest of bustlcs there would have
have been! But, like other tender and
prccarlous vegetation, bustles had to
take their chanccs-and more, too.
some OF them, as before, fell TO the
cupidity of Sherman's Christian SOL
dtcrs, who rclcntlessly uprootod them;
''llCi' "ltCI INC passage OF military
peril, were resurrcctcd to be trans
planted elsewhere, and others still, be-
ing unmarked, were never found by
those who had hastily and hopefully en-
tOmbcd them.
But great and unexpected day had
dawncd for bustles. OF tho number
that were left in the earth vast pro-
portion of those which had been filled
with sawdust in time took root and ex-
nbcrantly blossomod and fourishcd.
Those which had contained cotton,
however, went generally to seed.
We would say hero that from this
startling botanic phenomenon and the
impressive date and situation we have
been enabled to locate Enthusiastically
the rise and progress of the American
buStloi and Wo been convinced, too,
that nothing short of the most pertina-
cious and painstaking care and watch
funcss could havo brought this Indis-
pcnsablc appurtonanco of modern fo.
male beauty to its present oxtraordi-
nary size, yigor, and variety.
No have not space TO fully present
our deductions from the important cir
cumstanccs that surround the bustlo or
from The beautiful physiological female